These thoughts were written by our 2020 summer interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.
As part of the Civitas 2020 Summer Internship, students were asked to read each essay in the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project and share some of their thoughts. Here is what they wrote for the second essay by Matthew Desmond.
Myla C. – This article really changed the way that I looked at American capitalism. The way Desmond broke down how plantations led to the creation of capitalism was eye-opening. In addition to this, the way that enslaved people were used as collateral for mortgages is very disturbing. When the article mentioned how Thomas Jefferson mortgaged 150 enslaved workers to build Monticello, it reminded me of how Mizzou refuses to remove the statue of him. When Mizzou decided not to remove his statue and made the statement, “we don’t remove history”, I was disappointed but not surprised. I agree that Jefferson is a part of history, but future generations can learn about him in history textbooks. I realize that Jefferson had many accomplishments, but we should not erase the negative aspects of his life and put him on a pedestal.
Reece E. – Capitalism is inherently exploitative, for years marxists have described the nature in which profit is derived as “wage theft” or “wage slavery” and that isn’t on accident. Necessarily in a system where profit is the prime concern, not human fulfillment or even producing quality consumer goods then of course the result would be massive exploitation. I found the section on enslaved people being mortgaged compared to the bank bailouts during the financial crisis particularly interesting and I think those obvious comparisons are necessary in grappling with how we understand our economy.
Gabe L. – I hate money. I hate the idea of it. I hate the implication of it. I hate the morality of it. And hate is not a term I dole out lightly. There’s a deep-seating loathing for the green (or multi-colored, if you live anywhere other than America) rectangles that is not reciprocated upon other media or other people or other systems (well, most systems.) And despite this hatred, here I am, going to a school that costs far too much to get training in a field which pays far too little. My family asks me what my dream job is and I do not know how more clearly to articulate that I do not dream of labor. This makes living in the world as it is a bizarre (for lack of a better term) experience. I watch capital travel across the globe with scorn and scorn myself for helping it move. Capitalism, however, and the systems that founded it (because mercantilism is just different enough) do not care about what we think, or who we are. Capitalism only cares about capital (hence the name) and the endless pursuit of as much of it as possible as quickly as possible. And it will kill and trample underfoot anyone who dares to say no. And it will kill and trample underfoot anyone who does not produce enough. And it will kill and trample underfoot anyone who does not already have capital.
Maggie H. – America was built on the backs of slaves. Something I have seen and said more often in recent times. Reading this essay further solidified this realization and understanding of how whites have used Blacks, and every system in America has taken advantage and actively discriminated against Blacks. From cotton fields to physical torture to the lack of consumer protection for Blacks to the economy using slavery for gain, our history is entrenched in the oppression and abuse of Blacks. America has always wanted to make a profit, make money, lead the world in capital, and it has gone to every extreme to do this. The fact that the country started with owning people seen as lesser than them and using them for labor to make money has led America to continue this, at times more discreetly. The fact that we began this way speaks to our foundation as inherently racist, and because our economy formed on the backs of slaves and whites made their beginning fortunes because of Blacks yet Blacks received nothing in return means whites continue to benefit while Blacks continue to suffer. To change this would take dramatic reform, or revolution, which has been bounced around in politics and society yet remains uncertain of when we can reach this economic, political, social, and moral justice.
Sophie L. – “Capitalism” by Matthew Desmond highlights the global complicity that allowed slavery to survive, evolve, and continue to exist in various forms today. Creating a global market for cotton (grown in the South, transformed in the North, sold abroad) allowed individuals to distance themselves from the horror of slavery that they were participating in. Capitalism distances work from wealth, the people doing the physical labor receive the smallest portion of the profits. In the same way, Northern banks managed to acquire wealth, power, and control over a growing economy while claiming to be morally opposed to slavery, or at least removed from the practice. These degrees of separation, present from the beginning of capitalism, and the reduction of people to data points that must constantly produce, deny people the right to be human beings in a capitalist society. Capitalism, especially “low road” capitalism, deliberately creates degrees of separation meant to keep workers from attempting to build a new economy. In the same way that white workers failed to realize that slavery lowered wages for all, those wishing to dismantle unions fail to realize that unions increase wages. (And when I say fail to realize, I mean those actually working the jobs. Company bosses and those in leadership positions absolutely know what they are doing when they attempt to dismantle unions.) By deliberately creating separation, capitalism can become increasingly ruthless and continue to foster slavery in all names and forms.
Martriana M. – I found this article very interesting! It was very interesting learning how much the modern-day method of working was created with the help of slavery. And how the entire country(at the time), and even overseas, had a part in creating such a system, not just the south.
Daria N. – I think that this essay shows exactly what we are not typically taught in school, especially in Missouri. This explanation of American capitalism and how deeply southern plantations relied on this system shows exactly why we need reform. Capitalism revolves around making a profit but during the period that slavery still existed, the capital that was involved in making this profit were actual human beings that were being sold and exploited to build the American economy. I also think that it was interesting to read about the North’s part in the slave trade, especially because we are always taught in school that the North was fighting to free the slaves because they thought slavery was inherently wrong, but this is not necessarily the case.
Stephanie N. – This essay was very eye opening for me. A lot of times, especially in school, we’re told that it was the ‘big bad south’ that supported slavery. Sure, the south had the plantations, but the north had the factories to process cotton directly from them. This was an interesting piece to read because it’s not a narrative that’s often told. However, upon reading this I realized that the north was not as blameless as I thought.
Bella R. – This essay didn’t really change how I see American capitalism, as I don’t really support capitalism in any sense. But this definitely gave me a lot of historical information and outlook that I hadn’t seen or been taught before. We are taught in school that the South had slaves because they were racist, end of story. Obviously they were pretty racist, but it wasn’t really emphasized just how insanely rich Southerners got by using slave labor. I remember being taught that the plantation owners couldn’t turn a profit without using slave labor, that they “had to do it”, as if the mere presence of a profit would justify the institution of slavery. I already knew that the motive for profit very much blurs morals, especially for the one seeking profit, but this essay really brought to light how even in today’s world, American capitalism teaches us that cruelty (in many forms) is justified if it means we can turn a profit.
Emily S. – American capitalism is certainly a divisive issue in politics not only for today but throughout all of history, but this article analyzes American capitalism in a way I haven’t thought of or seen before. Bringing in the North’s complacency in the industry of slavery shed new light on how racism in the North after the Civil War still was able to take root and prevail. The in-depth explanation of how slavery actually operated also introduced to me an aspect of the inhumane practice that wasn’t covered in my education. All the systems and technologies used to continue slavery that are in practice for today’s industries just highlight how slavery and systematic racism, while causes hate and prejudice, is done with cold and calculating intent to further one group at the expense of another. This article provided me with new perspectives and was an interesting read.
Riley W. – I had a history teacher who was extremely interest in the way that slavery created the economy, so I had a lot of prior knowledge on this topic. One of the most shocking things I remember from that class, was when my teacher put a map on the board labeled by where slavery was legal and where it was illegal. Then he changed the map, to all of the countries that supported slavery. All the states lit up. The feeling of watching America evils come to the surface at that moment, reflected how I felt reading this article. I always knew that capitalism was built on the back slavery and is able to surge today because of it. The only reason I was able to afford this laptop I’m writing on is because someone else was exploited to make it. It is the basic facts of our economy. Nothing really shocked me, expect for how dumb those bankers were, do not accept something as collateral, when your collaterals value depends on the success of the venture. That’s wall street 101. I think that the idea of humans as collateral in such high numbers surprised me the most, I never thought about peoples value in that way, and seeing humans as products is easily the grossest thing in the essay.
Ethan W. – This essay helped me to think about capitalism in a new way. While I didn’t really understand some of the specifics, as economics is not my favorite subject, the overall theme of the essay really stood out to me. In history, we had learned about how cotton from the south went to the north, but we never learned about the disgusting economics of slavery itself, and how those economics still exist today. For me, the saddest part was that this system can’t easily be undone. Our capitalist system is so entrenched in our society that there’s no easy way to get rid of it, and as long as that system is in place, people will continue to be oppressed by it.
Valerie W. – I find it interesting how the author seems to hold back from actually criticizing capitalism as a whole, instead choosing to distinguish between “high capitalism” and “low capitalism”, ignoring that “high capitalist” countries are ultimately dependent on the institutions that create “low capitalism”, they are simply imported from other countries. Although the author does touch on how they profit off these, they don’t point out the dependency.
